Yu-Gi-Oh: Shadow Monsters
by Eienerei
Summary: This is an original Yugioh series inspired by Arc-V, and my first time writing on this site. Ikari Keizou is a troubled teenager struggling to improve his dueling in a world where duels can mean life or death. While fighting a bully, he unlocks a hidden potential that had not existed before in his deck. However, his power hides dark origins that may threaten those around him.


This is an original YuGiOh series taking place either in a separate timeline from the other shows or far enough into the future of Arc V that the world has become unrecognizable (sort of like what 5Ds did to the original Yugioh and GX). I am putting this in the Arc V forums because watching Arc V inspired me to write this and because I want the option of allowing characters to Pendulum Summon if it comes up, but as of right now, I don't think summoning methods will be particularly important. I will be making up most of my characters' decks with only the occasional real card, as I actually don't know much about the game; I just enjoy the shows. Anyway, please enjoy and and give me any advice you have. This is my first time writing on this site, so I hope you enjoy my story!

**CHAPTER 1**

* * *

><p>It began with the Tokyo Project, a government funded research experiment based on the theories of the late physicist, Dr. Sekai Takeshi, regarding what was marked in his notes as "Shadow Energy." Said to be a remarkable new energy source that was perpetually created in a parallel universe called the "Shadow Realm," Shadow Energy became the secret dream of the government to propel itself out of the shadow of the superpowers of the world and become an infinitely sustainable powerful independent from the strings of global politics. The Tokyo Project attempted to open a channel between the two Realms to allow the precious energy to be extracted. They succeeded in opening the portal, but they could not predict the unintended consequences. The portal ripped spacetime and engulfed Tokyo in a mass of Shadow Energy where monsters became reality and preyed upon the souls of the Tokyo residents. The disaster changed everything. All over the world, disaster radii known as Shadow Circles manifested in major cities, causing worldwide panic as governments scrambled to regain control. However, despite being new to public society, the threat of the Shadow Realm was ancient, and knowledgeable individuals came forward to teach the world the proper defense against the Shadow crisis. Magic, in the form of seals, spells, and contracts of power were the key to controlling the unstable Shadow Energy and defending oneself against the threat of manifesting Shadow monsters. The easiest way to protect oneself was through Dueling. By binding monsters and opponents into the rules of the ancient game, Duelists were able to use their skills to protect themselves and fight the Shadow monsters spawning from the Circles.<p>

In this day and age, everyone duels for both safety and amusement. The top Japanese Magic company, the Furusawa Conglomerate, has mass produced duel disks for everyone at the government's request, and medical magicians have taken to binding monsters into decks for all newborns. Due to the magic seals around major city boundaries provided by Furusawa Co., most of the population can live safe, productive lives protected by the spells of the government magicians. The quality of life for most citizens has returned to pre-Shadow levels, and career magicians continue to work to find new controlled uses for Shadow Energy in order to improve that level.

"Now, Ikari Keizou-san. Did you hear a word of what I just said?" Nakano-sensei said loudly to the student staring out the window.

"Huh?" Keizou gave a start as he heard his name. "Sorry, what?"

The class chuckled and Keizou turned red as he looked around the classroom. Nakano-sensei sighed. She had been teaching high school freshman level history at Furusawa High School for 5 years and she had never had a student like Ikari-san. He was smart; she couldn't deny that. After all, he had scored the highest of his year on the entrance exam, and those were hard for a top-tier school sponsored by the Furusawa Conglomerate. However, in the classroom, he never had the ambition to apply himself so he earned only mediocre grades; he was nothing like what his exam scores promised he'd be.

"Please see me after class, Ikari-san," she said with exasperation. She would have the conversation again today.

Keizou meekly said yes and slunk back into his chair. He propped his head up with a bored expression, fixed his glasses, and blew some strands of his messy hair out of his face. He would have to sit through the lecture telling him to apply himself again.

"Dude, you got busted by Nakano-sensei again. Not cool." whispered Kurosawa Shirou from behind him. Shirou was Keizou's best friend. A brown haired class clown, Shirou didn't take many things seriously, but he hated boredom, and waiting for Keizou to get out of his lecture to walk home was boring.

"Sorry...It was so random how she called me out. What could I do?" responded Keizou. "Hey, lunch after our practice is on me today then. My parents just gave me my allowance for the month yesterday." He gave a sheepish grin to his friend then turned to look at the clock at the front of the room. Tick, Tick, Tick...

AFTER SCHOOL

"I attack directly with Chaos Jester!" announced Shirou. The monstrous clown at his side laughed maniacally and ran at Keizou.

**CHAOS JESTER**

**Level 6 DARK Spellcaster/Effect**

**When this card would be removed from the field by an opponent's card effect, you may send any card equipped to this card to the graveyard in order to keep this card on the field. The effect applies to all other targets and is not considered negated.**

**ATK: 2350, DEF: 2000**

Keizou swore and looked down at his useless hand and empty field. Then the blade of the dark clown hit him square in the chest and sent him flying through the air.

"Ouch! Fuck!" Keizou muttered as he got up, nursing the side of his head. The duel disk's spells held back most of the force of the Shadow Energy making up the form of Chaos Jester, but he still felt all the kinetic damage of an oversized clown bulldozing over him and his life points.

"You told me not to go easy on you," Shirou said as he ran over to Keizou.

"Yeah, I meant it. I need to improve my skills before the next practical exam. But, damn, it still stings, getting knocked to the ground like that." Keizou let Shirou pull him back to his feet, then he kicked some dusk on the ground of the empty playground up into the air. "I just don't get it. What am I doing wrong?"

"Well-" Shirou began, but he was quickly cut off by the three people that stepped onto the playground.

"Well, maybe you just are a natural-born loser, Ikari-kun," giggled Fujioka Chikako. She faced the two boys with a smirk plastered on her face and her two girlfriends grinning mischievously. Chikako's band was one of the 'popular" cliques in class. Chikako herself was a curly-haired, golden child that got moderately high grades, followed the rules when in public, and batted her eyelashes at anyone that bothered to look. Except for the dregs of the class. Except for Keizou. "Training for the next practical exam? I think it's useless when you suck that badly. I mean, who loses every single one of ten matches. You'd get slaughtered outside the city barrier."

"Stuff it, you fugly bitches. Come on, Keizou. We're going to lunch." Shirou said, but he couldn't pull Keizou's angry gaze away from Chikako no matter how much he tugged at his arm.

"Ooooh. I'm gonna tell Daddy you said that. Watch him make your like a living hell, Kurosawa-kun." Chikako taunted. Chikako's father was a powerful magician affiliated with the local government of Kyoto. "Hey, what's the matter, Ikari-kun? Did I upset you? You don't seem to be complaining though. Maybe because what I said is true. So that's why you and your boyfriend are running with your tails between your legs. Sigh, this is the quality of students that they let into school nowadays. Furusawa's standard as the best is slipping."

"Ignore her. She's trash anyway: has to resort to petty insults," whispered Shirou, still trying to get the unmoving Keizou to leave.

"Hey, declaring me a coward? Funny, coming from 2 C rank duelists to an A rank such as myself. I bet you two would be too scared to even duel me." Chikako mocked snidely.

"I'm not, I'll duel you anytime," muttered Keizou.

"Hey, don't-" Shirou started.

"I'm not scared!" burst Keizou fiercely.

"What a pair of idiots," Chikako laughed, then waved her girls away. "Let's get out of here before we catch their idiocy."

Shirou yelled a few insulting things at their backs then turned to Keizou.

"Well, at least they're gone," he said. "No matter how pissed off they make us, dueling Chikako's gang would be a disaster for us. She just wants to humiliate us in public. Like we can't see through their egging." Shirou continued to rant, probably just to make Keizou feel better, but Keizou heard none of it. He was reading the e-message that had just been privately sent to his contact communicator.

_Midnight at the city boundaries. ~FC_


End file.
